Are we forgetting about malaria?

Vince 9S1

Malaria is a global issue and while there have been many preventative measures taken and a vaccine is slowly being developed, malaria has never been eradicated. However, it has been contained in different countries and the spread has decreased. Malaria had its peak in 2004 with 930,000 deaths worldwide but with the help of the World Health Organisation and the Millennium Development Goals, malaria is more controlled.

It seems that malaria is being forgotten due to other worldwide problems occurring such as Covid-19 which currently holds all the attention of the media and governments. However, in the 20th century, malaria was the top story in the news because this deadly disease was in almost every country. By 1946, malaria was slowing to a stop in East and West Russia. Countries nearer the North and South Poles tended to not have as many cases due to the colder temperature, meaning the mosquitoes could not breed. Since then, malaria is rarely talked about in the British media, and people seem to be unaware that its presence remains. In the past century, despite human

activities reducing half the land area that supports malaria growth, population demographic changes resulted in a two billion increase in the total population exposed to malaria risk. Annually, malaria is estimated to cost Africa £9.5 billion in Gross Domestic Product. This huge cost every year has slowed the economic growth in Africa by 1.3%. In 2010, Africa had 147,481 cases and 141,677 in 2017 showing a lack of change over the seven years.

Recently, in 2018, there were 228 million cases of malaria worldwide and 405,000 deaths.

67% of those people were under the age of five and over centuries malaria has been one of the biggest worldwide killers. Due to malaria’s complexity, finding a vaccine is a very difficult task, much like Covid-19.

Although the UK is not greatly affected by malaria, there are many countries in the world, for example in sub-Saharan Africa, that still do not have as good healthcare infrastructure as the United Kingdom and other HICs (high income countries) do, so what may be considered a low threat to one country, is a serious threat to others. Therefore, we need to keep the threat of malaria in mind, remember that others are still battling the disease and do what we can to help.